I think they just met to discuss his fate... Alongside they did this promotion business to throw the media off.

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Asim,

Actually that is not correct. ASB meets every year to do exactly this. It is added to the tail end of the annual Corps Commanders meeting.

A new generation of Army leaders - lets hope most in the Gen Kiyani mold - soldiering not politicking.

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AM,

No Army officer ever dreams of or yearns to lead the country. Every single Pakistani General who has taken over the country (except Zia) had an apolitical career until the point of taking over. Different reasons have led to Army officers taking over, however politics are something that is not talked about amongst the officers aside from in private gatherings.

Also keep in mind the circumstances in which people take over. If the perception in the public is that the country has been run to the ground then Army feels the need to get involved. The psyche although quite different from the Turkish Army (which views itself as the guardian of the Turkish Secularism) is also very similar in some ways. Pakistan going to the dogs will not be allowed by the Army even though the attempt to intervene may hurt Pakistan in other ways. I think to this day, people in the Army believe that Pakistan is more important than democracy. For as long as the survival of democracy and Pakistan is not seen to be the same and politicians continue to treat the country as anything but a sacred trust, Army, in its own imperfect ways, will continue to weigh in on the affairs of the country.

total of 650 brigadiers were put up for selection and 26 were promoted. what happens to the 624 who were superseded?. retire i guess!

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Sir most of them will be superseded while a few others may have been deferred for consideration at next year's promotion board. I know of a few folks who got through second time around. As long as you don't get superseded for good, there is still a chance.

A new generation of Army leaders - lets hope most in the Gen Kiyani mold - soldiering not politicking.

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funny u raised this point - according to the new book on the PA - Crossed Swords - , most of the officers who will in the next 1-2 years hold positions of GoC, Corps Commanders and CoAS were inducted in the Gen. Zia time-period of Islamization and saw the full brunt of the american sanctions. these officers (barring a few like Gen. Kiyani) will be conservative in their world view, islamist in their demeanor and probably anti-american. a far from perfect situation.

Sir most of them will be superseded while a few others may have been deferred for consideration at next year's promotion board. I know of a few folks who got through second time around. As long as you don't get superseded for good, there is still a chance.

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correct and age has a part to play also.
young brigadiers (42-44yrs) would wait for a second chance,
some who are in their late 40s/early 50s would automatically retire at their due date.

But the young brigadiers aren't even considered for Selection Board; They must have command experience for two yrs; and some course and staff duties for 2 to 3 yrs which makes all of them of the age of late 40s.

I hope we dont indulge in any knee-jerk conspiracy theories like Gen. Kiyani did not have support of the Corps Cmdrs or that the ISI chief has been replaced on the behest of the US.
Once again let me re-emphasise that these are routine changes in command of various army formations which is the sole perogative of the CoAS. the present chief has been in charge of the army for ~11 months, which is ample time for him to gauge / evaluate the performance of his formation commanders and then decide who amongst all the formation commanders can best support his vision for the army during the CoAS 3-year term which ends in Nov-2010.
As to the change in the DG-ISI, please note that Lt.Gen. Nadeem Taj has been transferred as corps commander XXX corps at gujranwala and therefore enjoys the trust of the CoAS. the new DG-ISI, Lt.Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha has been heavily involved as DGMO in the military ops against the militants, so makes good sense.

I hope we dont indulge in any knee-jerk conspiracy theories like Gen. Kiyani did not have support of the Corps Cmdrs or that the ISI chief has been replaced on the behest of the US.
Once again let me re-emphasise that these are routine changes in command of various army formations which is the sole perogative of the CoAS. the present chief has been in charge of the army for ~11 months, which is ample time for him to gauge / evaluate the performance of his formation commanders and then decide who amongst all the formation commanders can best support his vision for the army during the CoAS 3-year term which ends in Nov-2010.
As to the change in the DG-ISI, please note that Lt.Gen. Nadeem Taj has been transferred as corps commander XXX corps at gujranwala and therefore enjoys the trust of the CoAS. the new DG-ISI, Lt.Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha has been heavily involved as DGMO in the military ops against the militants, so makes good sense.

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ASIA PACIFIC
Date Posted: 30-Sep-2008

Jane's Defence Weekly

Pakistan Army chief makes sweeping changes to senior leadership

Farhan Bokhari JDW Correspondent - Islamabad

General Ashfaq Kiyani has promoted seven major generals to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed them to key positions in the Pakistan Army in the most sweeping set of senior appointments he has made since becoming chief of the service in November 2007.

The most significant of the postings, which were made on 29 September, included the appointment of newly promoted Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha as head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) counter-espionage agency. The ISI has played a key role in the country's campaign against militants.

Prior to his appointment as head of the ISI, Gen Pasha served for almost two-and-a-half years as Director General Military Operations (DGMO) based at the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi.

As DGMO, he closely planned and oversaw the execution of Pakistani military operations against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in the region along the Afghan border.

Gen Pasha replaces Lieutenant General Nadeem Taj, who becomes one of Pakistan's 11 military corps commanders.

"These appointments effectively complete the transition by Gen Kiyani to his full command of the military," said Talat Masood, a respected commentator on defence and security affairs.

Western defence analysts said the change at the top of the ISI may be part of a new effort to revamp the agency in the light of criticism from US and other Western defence and security officials, who accuse it of being sympathetic towards Islamic militants and of retaining its links with the Taliban dating back to the 1990s. The ISI has also been accused of having a hand in an attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul in July.

"Gen Pasha's appointment suggests that Gen Kiyani has brought in an officer who knows the ground situation in the border area extremely well. The significance of this appointment is that there is an individual who is likely to focus on reforming the ISI internally, as he already has a good handle on the border situation," one senior Western defence official in Islamabad told Jane's .